


Our Story

by Nissye



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Abuse, M/M, Mpreg, Prostitution, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-11-05 16:11:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17922098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nissye/pseuds/Nissye
Summary: "There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends that become family"This is the story of three boys, three friends, who will have to rely on each other to be able to overcome their problems and have a better life.





	1. Chapter 1

Jeno moaned uncomfortably and rubbed his back slowly with one hand, it was all day that his back ached and the particularly intense work shift had not helped at all.  
“ You're getting heavy little one … ” he whispered looking at his belly and then blushed when he noticed the lady who was waiting for the elevator behind him.  
“ Good evening Mrs. Seo ” he said quickly Jeno bowing, as far as his back would allow him.

The lady just gave him a cold look and she entered the elevator as soon as the doors opened, Jeno followed her and he was careful to not to cross his gaze. He had been treated coldly for months, but he had not yet got used to it, when he was young and he spent summers with his grandparents, everyone treated him with warmth and kindness and now the same people did nothing but ignore him or whisper bad things behind him.  
Yet Jeno was still the same person, he knew he had made a mistake but he did not believe he deserved all that contempt.

Jeno hurried out of the elevator and he stopped a few steps from his apartment. Two boys sat in front of the door, one with pink hair holding a blond boy close to him.  
" What are you doing here? Jaemin ... " Jeno stopped when Jaemin looked up at him, his lower lip split and a bruise on his cheekbone.  
" Can we stay with you tonight? " Jaemin asked " Today is one of his bad days ... " he added in a whisper.  
Jeno looked at his friend sadly and nodded, he opened the door of the apartment and let Jaemin enter who in the meantime had picked up his brother.  
Jaemin slowly entered and he brought Jisung into the room they usually used when his father became particularly violent and they had to take shelter at Jeno's if they did not want to seriously get injured.

" Do you want me to cook something? " Jaemin asked, sitting on the couch next to Jeno  
" I'll do it, don’t worry. Did he ... Did he hurt you a lot? Do you have any other injuries? Is Jisung okay? " Jeno asked worriedly as he gently placed an ice pack on his bruised cheek.  
Jaemin smirked, he loved when Jeno worried about him it made him feel important and loved.  
" Jisung is fine, he's just exhausted. And I'm fine, I'm just a little bruised " he put his hand on top of Jeno's hand who was still holding the ice against his cheek, he brought his face closer to the older and added "It isn’t like last time. I'm ok. Stop worrying, it's not good for the baby. "  
Jeno nodded not convinced, he took his hand from under Jaemin's and he went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

 

" Thanks for the ride hyung " Donghyuck said with a beaming smile to the man sitting in the driver's seat.  
The man just nodded and leaned forward to kiss the younger boy, a long and intense kiss that left both of them breathless.  
" I have already booked you for the next weekend, i want you to put on the pants I bought you they are perfect on your pretty ass " the man said, placing a hand on Donghyuck thigh.  
" As you wish hyung! And will you bring me some nice presents? " Donghyuck asked with a calculated innocence that he knew it excited the older man.  
" Sure my darling, I'll fill you with presents " the man replied with a slightly hoarse voice, tightening the grip on the thigh of the boy " Now go, I have to go back home before my wife wakes up "  
Donghyuck got out of the car, waited for the man to leave and he entered the palace where Jeno lived.

It was still early to go to school but he knew Jaemin had spent the night there and he was a very early-morning guy, so Donghyuck knocked on the apartment door unceremoniously.  
It was Jaemin who opened the door, Donghyuck glanced at him making a quick calculation of bruises and wounds that The Bastard had left on his best friend, fortunately it was not as bad as he expected.  
He put the bags he had on the couch, passing a package to Jaemin " It's the breakfast, a friend bought me some delicious pastries. I also got an Americano for you and a milkshake for Jisungie and Jeno "  
" A friend, eh? Is that what you call them now? " Jaemin asked as he arranged food and drink on the table.  
" I can call them customers if you want, but I find that friends is a less cold word " Donghyuck replied sarcastic.  
Neither of them talked for a while, there were few things they were arguing about but the "job" of Donghyuck was one of those, Jaemin hated the fact that he sold his body so easily and even talked about it as if it were nothing Donghyuck understood him, prostitution was not exactly his greatest aspiration in life but it was simple and in a week he managed to keep his family's accounts afloat, not counting the gifts that customers often made to him.  
The point was that he was tired of fighting, his whole life had been ruined by lack of money, he was bullied at school because he always wore second-hand things, at home he was scolded if he tried to ask for something more to eat not to mention of the furious quarrels of his parents who blamed each other for their poverty.

 

" Donghyuck hyung! " Jisung exclaimed rushing to hug him.  
" Good morning baby boy " Donghyuck greeted him ruffling his hair " What are you doing up so early? "  
Jisung chuckled " I'm hungry. Yesterday I fell asleep waiting for Jeno Hyung to arrive and I didn’t have dinner"  
" Well, then you'll be happy to know that your favorite hyung has just brought breakfast and your favorite milkshake " Donghyuck said pointing to the food and drink on the table, he had not even finished the sentence that Jisung had already rushed on the food as if he had not eaten for days.  
"Try to leave something to eat for us and for Jeno, Jisung" Jaemin said exasperatedly to his little brother.  
Jeno emerged from his room shortly after, he mumbled a good morning and the boys had breakfast with the food that Jisung kindly left to them.

 

That morning the weather was bad, the wind was cold and made the boys cringe just out of the apartment.  
" Are we going back to Jeno hyung's house tonight? " Jisung asked to his brother in a whisper, looking down, he knew that Jaemin hated to always have to ask Jeno for help, but he really did not want to go home, he was feeling sick at the memory of the stranger's hands on him.  
Jaemin stiffened a little and paused, Jisung looked at him with a mixture of fear and despair in his eyes.  
The elder brother hesitated, he did not want to make any more trouble for Jeno but seeing Jisung in that state gave him a lump in his throat.  
Jeno noticed the discomfort of Jaemin and the panic in the eyes of Jisung he intervened " Of course you come back to my house! Actually I really need a hand to mount the baby's crib "  
Jisung broke into a radiant smile "Really hyung? " Jeno nodded and ruffled his hair, Jisung hugged him.  
As they walked toward the bus stop, Donghyuck glanced at Jaemin, Jisung was not the type to be so frightened by a simple rage attack of his father, he was sure something more serious had happened.  
Not wanting to make matters worse, he decided not to ask questions and send them back to when they were alone, not that he wanted to exclude Jeno but he was not like them. Jeno had always had a good life, he was rich and loved, and neither Jaemin nor Donghyuck felt comfortable sharing with him all the ugliness of their families.

" Will we have to go home on foot? " Donghyuck muttered, looking out the window.  
" You can always ask for a ride to your admirer " Jaemin said with a smile and motioning his friend to turn around.  
Donghyuck turned and gave a beaming smile " Hey Mark! Do you want to come and sit with us? "  
Mark looked surprised for a moment " C... Can I? " Donghyuck nodded and freed the chair next to him from the jackets of his friends' uniforms. Mark sat down feeling a little embarrassed, he did not know the other two boys except for their fame. However both Jeno and Jaemin proved to be very friendly and immediately put Mark at ease.  
" Are you alright? Does your back hurt? " Jaemin asked Jeno noticing the friend shifting uncomfortably on the hard plastic chair.  
Donghyuck and Mark stopped talking and looked at Jeno who only nodded slightly, blushing.  
" How far along are you Jeno? " Mark asked, surprising everyone, generally nobody ever spoke openly about Jeno's pregnancy.  
" Almost eight months" replied Jeno bringing a hand to caress the belly, say it aloud suddenly made him realize how little was missing at the birth of the child.  
" Wow! Do you know if it's a boy or a girl? Have you already chosen the name? " asked Mark  
Jeno smiled at the questions, pleased that someone besides Jaemin, Jisung and Donghyuck would regard his child as a living being and not just a mistake.  
" It’s a boy, I'm not sure yet but I really like the name Wonwoo "  
And between a chat and another the lunch break ended and began the afternoon lessons that for great misfortune of Jeno were his most hated subjects; mathematics and english.

 

They returned to the apartment in the car with Mark, who had proposed to wait for the bus with them and give them a ride if you do not pass.  
Donghyuck dived on the sofa, that night he had slept only four and now he was exhausted.  
Jeno went to change clothes with something more comfortable of the school uniform, then he went to the kitchen to munch on his favorite chocolate cookies.  
Jaemin joined him and sat down in front of him.  
" Thanks for letting us stay even today "  
" You can stay here as long as you want Jaemin, I'm glad to have some company " Jeno said smiling and Jaemin wondered who was the idiot who had let such an angel escape.  
There was a few minutes of silence then Jeno said " But I really need help with the crib " and he blushed.  
Jaemin laughed.  
" Don't worry, we'll take care of it "

When Jeno was gone to work and Jisung was still at the home of a friend of his, Donghyuck took the opportunity to ask " What happened the other night, Jaemin? I've never seen Jisung so scared "  
Jaemin stiffened " Someone tried to touch him ... " seeing Donghyuck jump up from the couch and turn pale he hastened to say " Nothing happened. I arrived on time and I stopped him but Jisung really got scared this time "  
" Who was it? Your father? And would you let Jisung come back to that house?! "  
Jaemin became angry at those words.  
" What should I do, eh? Coming to live on Jeno's shoulders? As if he did not have enough problems. "  
" You may find a job to support you and Jisung, and help Jeno with anything he need in exchange for his hospitality " Donghyuck proposed .  
" Half of the people here are afraid of my father, who do you think is so stupid to give me a job? "  
Jaemin's father worked for a group of loan sharks, he was responsible for collecting payments and was the most violent of all, had never had trouble beating up women or the elderly.  
" Come to NCT House " Donghyuck said " not as a prostitute, I would never propose it to you, but as a bartender "  
Jaemin looked at his friend without saying anything, his head was starting to hurt and the only thing he wanted was to go to sleep and possibly not to wake up for the next 10 years.  
" Come on Jaemin, Jisung does not deserve all this suffering and neither do you. "  
" What do I do if he came to look for us? I can’t risk of getting Jeno into trouble " Jaemin whispered  
Donghyuck hugged him and his friend clung to him. " We'll think about it together. I will do my best to help you get out of this situation, I promise you Jaemin "

Jisung returned late in the evening, all happy and perky and while Donghyuck was preparing dinner, he and Jaemin mounted the crib, a task that exhausted them.  
" From how much it cost they could warn us that we needed an engineering degree to understand the instructions. " Jaemin muttered, arranging the last piece and making both Donghyuck and Jisung burst into laughter.  
Just as Donghyuck was finishing setting the table, Jeno came back.  
" It smell so good. What did you cook? " Jeno asked taking off his coat.  
" I prepared some braised chicken with vegetables and your beloved Ddukbokki " Donghyuck answered proud of his creations " I hope you and baby Wonwoo are hungry "  
" We're always hungry " Jeno said, sitting down at the table.  
The dinner was delicious and above all everyone had the feeling of being at home and having a real family. Donghyuck watched his friends chat quietly, Jaemin and Jisung seemed so happy that he broke his heart at the thought that it would not last long. He had to do something to get the two brothers out of the clutches of those bastards they had as parents, and maybe he just had an idea.


	2. Chapter 2

Donghyuck looked at the time on the phone.  
"Ajhussi is late," he muttered, clutching his coat, that night it was terribly cold.  
A few minutes later a car approached and Donghyuck rushed in and immediately put his hands near the heater.  
"A little more and I would have died frozen," said Donghyuck angrily to the middle-aged man seated in the driver's seat.  
"Tell me what you want, I have no time to waste. "  
Donghyuck did not mind the brusque man's manner and said "I want you to help a friend of mine, promise me you will and I will accept your proposal"  
"In what kind of trouble is in this friend of yours to make you change your mind so quickly? "  
"He didn't do anything wrong," Donghyuck replied pouting "His parents are the problem. "  
Ajhussi remained silent waiting for the boy to continue.  
"The father beats him at every opportunity and his mother is always too high to realize what's going on. He has a younger brother who last week risked being raped by one of his mother's drug addicts friends... "  
"It would be enough to call social services and make a report," Ajhussi interrupted  
"He is a minor ... so he would risk being separated from his brother or finishing up in some kind of institution" said Donghyuck still trembling from the cold, he was regretting having called him, after all he knew nothing about that man. He didn't even know his name, when the man showed up in the hotel room where Donghyuck usually received occasional customers, he introduced himself only as Ajhussi.  
Ajhussi had told him that he was a policeman and needed his help to find evidence against a very important person in the drug dealing, and that person was just one of Donghyuck's regular customers.  
The boy had laughed at that story, why would he ever get caught up in such a thing? He already had his problems to think about, he certainly didn't need to go against a drug dealer.  
But it was the only idea that had come to him to help Jaemin and Jisung.  
"So you're asking me to take them away from their parents but let a kid take care of his younger brother? "the man asked  
"I ... I don't know. I just want them to be safe ... "Donghyuck answered" ... but I don't want to be separated from them, they are my family " he continued in a barely audible whisper.  
Ajhussi looked at the boy in silence.  
" Their names? "  
"Na Jaemin and Na Jisung"

"We will meet again in three days, at the same time. I'll tell you if I can do anything for your friends and I'll explain what you'll have to do for me. "  
Donghyuck nodded and started to get out of the car but Ajhussi stopped him.  
"Tell me where you want to go. I give you a ride, it's not safe to go around at night with this weather "  
Donghyuck looked out the window, wind and snow were raging violently, he would have liked to go back to Jeno's house but it was almost a week since he showed up home and he was more than sure that his parents were already short of money. Always if in one of their fights they had not killed each other. He mumbled his home address and while Ajhussi was driving Donghyuck sent a message to Jaemin saying they would meet at school.  
He tried to get into the house making as little noise as possible, he saw his father sleeping on the couch, he and his mother had probably argued again.  
He went into the kitchen and took the jar where the parents thought they were hiding the money from him. Too bad he was the only one to put them in it and neither of them had yet understood it. He put the money he earned the night before into the jar and went to his room.  
His room was actually a storage room with a bed and a small wardrobe in it. He sat on the bed but couldn't sleep, he felt terribly uncomfortable. He had never loved spending too much time in that house among the screams of his parents but now he found it almost unbearable, he wanted to return to Jeno and Jaemin. When he spent his days in Jeno's apartment he felt well and even the fact that he prostituted himself never touched him but every time he came home a sense of despair and disgust assailed him.  
Donghyuck hid his head under the pillow and tried to cry as quietly as possible.

Jaemin read Donghyuck's message as he waited for Jeno to be ready. He sensed that something was wrong. Donghyuck usually abbreviated any word to the point of making the message almost indecipherable but this time it was written to perfection and even with the punctuation in the right place, a sign that the friend wanted to be distracted by something.  
He tried to call his friend but he didn't answer, he started to worry, Donghyuck had faced a period of depression that seemed to resurface every time he came home.  
Jaemin nibbled his lower lip, Jeno had just finished breakfast and he would take at least half an hour to get ready, then they would have to wait for the bus.  
Too much time, Jaemin thought.  
"Jeno I'm going to school now," Jaemin shouted, taking his backpack and his coat.  
Jisung who was sitting on the sofa gave him a questioning look.  
"Give him a hand okay? "Jaemin said to his brother then he ran out of the apartment without giving his brother the chance to reply.  
Jeno came out of the room still in his pajamas  
"Did something happen? “ He asked confused  
"I don't know," Jisung replied.

Jaemin rushed to school, the road wasn't much but it was all uphill and when he arrived he was about to have a heart attack.  
He didn't even know if Donghyuck had already arrived at school but he had acted instinctively, walked around the building and breathed a sigh of relief when he found his friend sitting on the stairs.  
Jaemin stood before him and looked at him crookedly.  
"What the hell are you doing out here? Do you want to die frozen? "  
Donghyuck smiled at him "How do you always know where to find me? Did you put a bug on me? "  
Jaemin noticed his friend's red and swollen eyes but he didn't ask questions, Donghyuck would tell him everything when he felt like it, the important thing was to have found him.  
"Obviously, I'm just waiting for the right time to kidnap you and lock you up in my golden castle"  
Donghyuck burst out laughing and Jaemin joined him.  
"where did you leave Jeno and Jisung? " Donghyuck asked  
"I ran out as soon as I read your message," replied Jaemin  
"Oh? Did I worry you? Aww my hero " Donghyuck joked getting up and planting a kiss on Jaemin's cheek.  
"Dumb," he said grabbing Donghyuck for the sweatshirt and ruffling his hair.  
"Want to skip school? I have to go to pay the bills and I'm not in the mood to be among all those people, " Donghyuck asked  
Jaemin nodded "Come on, I offer you breakfast," he told him.  
"You're really determined to win me today! " Donghyuck joked

Jeno adjusted his backpack better on his legs so as to cover his belly as much as possible, he felt all eyes on him. In front of him sat a group of boys younger than a few years, who had done nothing but giggle among themselves as they cast poisonous glances at him. The two old ladies standing next to him began to discuss how some young people today had no shame or moral integrity.  
Jeno had to struggle to suppress tears.  
All this was not a novelty, indeed as soon as the news of his pregnancy had spread throughout the small town it had been much worse, but in this period he was much more sensitive. He even managed to cry because he couldn't find his favorite pajamas a few days ago.  
Fucking pregnancy, Jeno thought, turning to look out the window.

He must have dozed off because he didn't realize he'd arrived at school until he heard Jisung call him.  
The poor boy was also forced to help him get off the bus as it was frozen on the ground and Jeno's balance has gone on vacation more or less at the beginning of the seventh month of pregnancy.  
He had no desire to stay in class that day, he would have preferred to stay all day in his comfortable bed.  
When he arrived in the classroom he was already exhausted, Jaemin had sent him a message warning him that neither he nor Donghyuck would be at school, he had been a little hurt but he understood that the two had a special friendship of which he would never have been part of it, however sometime he hoped the two would stop excluding him from their lives. Jeno didn't care how bad the two friends' situations were, he wanted to help them like they helped him, but how could he do that if nobody ever told him anything?  
Sometimes he wondered how a parent could get to hurt a child, he already loved his little one and wasn't even born. He wouldn't have been the best mother in the world but he couldn't even think of voluntarily hurting Wonwoo.  
" Look look. Are you alone today? Where are your boyfriends? "  
She had been Soojung one of his most bitchy classmates, Jeno didn't answer and he just pulled the books for the lesson out of his backpack  
"Don't you answer, bitch? " Soojung asked taking one of the books and passing it to the boy next to her.  
"He probably uses his mouth just to give blowjobs," someone said, making the whole class laugh.  
The book was badly pulled over his school desk, the word "whore" written with a red marker stands out on the cover  
Do not cry, do not cry, do not cry Jeno repeated mentally, biting his lower lip.  
Fortunately the teacher entered and everyone sat down in their place.  
"Good morning guys," the teacher said as he entered  
Wait up! What is the math professor doing here? We don’t have math today Jeno thought.  
"The history professor has had a setback, you will spend these first two hours with me. I will take advantage of this to see how far your preparation is in my subject, "the professor explained  
Jeno's eyes widened, he had not even begun to study the last topics.  
"Lee Jeno come to the board," said the professor and Jeno had to stop himself from crying for the third time that morning.

Jisung smiled at the excellent vote he had received on his science research, Jeno had made him use his computer and it was much easier than having to go back and forth from the library, he had also enjoyed doing it.  
"Ooohh! You were really lucky Jisung!” Chenle said.  
Jisung gave him a tongue.  
"It wasn't luck! It was hard work my supreme intelligence “ he replied  
"In your dreams. If I could have written it in chinese I would have taken a lot more than you, " Chenle said.  
Jisung chuckled and he wrote in his notebook the few errors the teacher had corrected to him so he could memorize them and not repeat them in the future.  
He loved to study and go to school, before Jeno arrived for Jisung the only safe place was school, his father could not touch him there and the commitment he put into the study had never betrayed him. Eventually he learned that hard work does not betray while hope does. So he started to work harder to get high grades, he would need good grades to get a scholarship to get into the university that would guarantee him a good job. Having a good job meant a good salary and this would allow him to live peacefully and happily with Jaemin and away from his parents.  
Jisung took a quick photo of the vote and sent it to his brother then returned to focus on the lesson.

 

Donghyuck and Jaemin strolled through the snow-covered streets with a specific goal. Golden Pastry was the most renowned pastry shop within kilometers, as children they always passed in front of the shop window and stood watching the desserts on display. It was there that they first saw Jeno, sat at one of the tables eating a slice of cake with his grandparents, Jeno noticed them and pointed them out, his grandmother obviously warned one of the owners and Jaemin and Donghyuck they were forced to run away.  
When Donghyuck started to prostitute himself, the first thing he had done was to take Jisung and Jaemin to that bakery, slamming the money in the owners’ face, and ordering the most expensive cake then they ate quietly at the tables reserved for respectable people.  
Respectable people. Throughout their childhood they had been excluded because their parents were not respectable people, no one had stopped for a moment to wonder if maybe those little boys deserved a chance, if maybe they could still be saved. Nobody. Then they gritted their teeth and tried to save themselves and here they are, now, one forced into prostitution for economically maintaining his parents and the other forced to hide in a friend's house to not get beaten up.  
There were days when they thought they could still manage to pull themselves out of that shit, others in which they simply let life flow without hopes.

"Are you going to tell Jeno that you're in love with him? "Donghyuck asked as he ate his cherry tart.  
Jaemin blushed and he almost choked.  
"How do certain things come to your mind? I'm not in love with Jeno, " replied Jaemin  
"Liar. You eat him with your eyes every time you see him, " Donghyuck said, taking a sip of tea  
"Okay, maybe I like him a little ..."  
"A little? “ Donghyuck interrupted him  
Jaemin grimaced "He's pregnant ..." he said then  
"So?" Donghyuck asked  
"So he doesn't need to worry about my crush on him too"  
"Let him decided this by himself, Jaemin. And I'm pretty sure he is in love with you too," said Donghyuck, winking at his friend  
"What happened this morning Donghyuck? "Jaemin asked to change the topic but also because he was worried about his friend.  
"Nothing, I went back home. You know how it is when I get back there ... I’m starting to believe that that house is cursed, "Donghyuck muttered  
Jaemin looked at him feeling helpless, Donghyuck's parents didn't hit his son but with the words they were able to do more damage than Jaemin's parents ever could.  
"So what do we buy for Jisung and your future husband? " Donghyuck asked, trying to come back cheerful.  
"I hate you," Jaemin said with a smile  
"I love you too, but I'll bear to share you with Jeno," Donghyuck said running away before Jaemin could hit him.  
They ordered a tray of pastries for Jeno and Jisung and walked back to Jeno's apartment.  
Jeno had given them the copy of the apartment key so they could come and go as they wanted, Jaemin put the pastries in the fridge and Donghyuck started cooking lunch.  
"Before Jeno comes home we have to do some grocery shopping, there is almost nothing left to eat," Donghyuck said putting the ramen on the table.  
"And we wait for him and Jisung at the bus stop. I don't trust Jeno to walk alone with all this snow, " Jaemin said starting to eat.  
Donghyuck laughed "Yeah, you don't have a crush on Jeno. You just lost your head for him, " he said  
This time Jaemin was fast enough and managed to kick Donghyuck under the table.

"There is one thing I wanted to tell you. " Donghyuck began "I spoke with the NCT House manager. She wants to meet you tonight if you haven't changed your mind "  
Jaemin looked at him uncertainly but nodded "Okay," he said  
"It's just a bartender job, I promise” Donghyuck said quickly  
Jaemin smiled "I know, I trust you Donghyuck"  
"If you are accepted you will also be given false documents that say you are of age." Donghyuck explained and Jaemin nodded.  
"Thank you for what you do for me and Jisung, Donghyuck," Jaemin said and Donghyuck didn't have time to answer because the bus arrived.  
They went home all together, Jaemin helped Jeno and carried his backpack while Jisung helped Donghyuck carry the shopping.

Jeno sat on the couch and his back finally felt a little relief.  
"Do you have to go to work Hyung? " Jisung asked, sitting next to Jeno  
"No, yesterday was my last day. " Jeno replied  
"Why did you need to work anyway? Your parents send you a lot of money every month" Donghyuck asked  
"Well, they threw me away like I was rubbish when they heard I was pregnant and I bet they'll stop sending money as soon as I get to age. I don't want to risk being broke. Not with a child to grow. "Jeno replied dryly, when his parents had driven him out of the house he had promised himself to become independent and to provide for the child with his own strength. He still hadn't succeeded in it, working while pregnant was not easy but he had put aside a lot of money that would have given him time to look for a job after the baby was born.  
"Our parents suck but I'm sure you will be a good mother," Donghyuck said  
"I really hope so," Jeno said, bringing a hand to where Wonwoo had just kicked.

That night Donghyuck took Jaemin with him to NCT House, lied to Jisung saying Jaemin had found work in a 24-hour convenience store.  
Donghyuck greeted the boy behind the bar.  
"Haechan what are you doing here so early?” The boy asked  
"I accompanied a friend" Donghyuck said then looked at Jaemin and said "He is Lucas, if you get hired you will work with him"  
"Oh so he is Jaemin. Haechan told me about you! You don't have to worry I'll teach you all the secrets of the job " Lucas said making him a wink.  
Jaemin nodded, hoping with all his heart that the skimpy clothes Lucas wore were not the work uniform.  
"Come on, I'll let you know the manager," Donghyuck said pulling his arm.  
"Why did he call you Haechan?" Jaemin asked as they headed downstairs.  
"It's the name I use here. Did you really think we used our real names? " Donghyuck said with a chuckle.  
"Is Lucas also a fake name? " Jaemin asked  
" Of course! And you too will have one when you are hired," Donghyuck replied  
Arriving at the end of the stairs Donghyuck opened a door that revealed to Jaemin a world completely foreign to him. There were men in old age who kissed and touched boys without restraint, boys who could have been their sons.  
"Move," Donghyuck said, tugging him, "First rule of the downstairs: Don't stare at customers, they might think you're interested in them or that you are judging them. And you don't want either of these things to happen "  
Jaemin swallowed, he felt uncomfortable and all he wanted was to go home but the memory of what happened to Jisung prevented him from doing so and he followed Donghyuck into the manager's office. To his surprise the manager was a beautiful young girl and not a middle-aged woman as he had thought.  
"Noona! " Donghyuck exclaimed " I brought you my friend Jaemin as promised "  
The girl looked up from the documents she was reading and looked at Jaemin.  
"Mh" the girl said studying the boy for a few more minutes "I am Seulgi. Donghyuck explained your situation to me, I understand that it is not easy to have a child at your age but I need something more than a sad story to hiring you "  
"A chi ..." Jaemin started to say with a confused expression but the elbow on the ribs that Donghyuck gave him silenced him.  
"Noona he will do a good job! He is it cute, isn't he? He will attract a lot of customers!"  
The manager looked at Donghyuck then returned to lay his eyes on Jaemin "He is pretty, yes ... All right, you will do a three day trial with Lucas then we will see... Go upstairs, Lucas will find you a uniform and he will explain to you what your role is. "Jaemin nodded and bowed slightly and together with Donghyuck started out of the office.  
"Haechan" Donghyuck turned abruptly "your first client will arrive soon, prepare yourself and do not waste time"  
Those words were enough to make Jaemin feel sick. He turned to look at his friend and for a moment he saw a flash of shame and bitterness cross Donghyuck's gaze, but it was only a few seconds then everything was erased by his usual cheerful expression "Yes Noona! "  
Donghyuck accompanied Jaemin upstairs and gave him to Lucas then ran downstairs again.  
Lucas took Jaemin to the back of the bar to look for a uniform and explain to him what he should do.  
Jaemin didn't really listen to what Lucas was saying to him, his mind kept thinking about Donghyuck and what he was doing with his client. He was disgusted by the thought that someone was putting his hands on his friend, disgusted that there were places like this that favored this kind of things.  
"JAEMIN! "  
Jaemin suddenly shook himself "Eh? So ... I'm sorry ... "  
Lucas gave him a reassuring smile "Don't worry, I know how it feels ... My boyfriend works downstairs"  
The last part was a barely audible whisper, but the sadness in it was so tangible that it caused Jaemin's heart to sting and he didn't have the courage to hold the gaze of the older boy.  
"Jaemin, do a good job, the pay is good and the manager is a good person even if she sounds scary. It could be your chance to change your life," Lucas said.  
"How do you know...? What did Donghyuck tell you? " Jaemin asked  
"Nothing, but no one would choose to work here if he wasn't desperate enough, right? "  
Jaemin nodded and Lucas smiled at him "Good! You will not have to do anything other than serve at the tables, it may be necessary to flirt a little with the customers but nothing more than this. If they ask you about the floor below, say you're new and tell them to ask to me," Lucas explained as he rummaged in a closet from which he pulled out a uniform similar to his.  
"For now this will be yours, if you are hired Seulgi Noona will give you a made-to-measure uniform... If they ask you what your name is, don't give your real name!"  
"And what do I tell them? " Jaemin asked, taking the uniform Lucas was holding out to him.  
"I don't know ... what's your full name? "  
"Na Jaemin"  
"Mmmh ... Nana! " Lucas exclaimed cheerfully "Yes, tell them your name is Nana"  
Jaemin smiled, "Nana" was also the title of his favorite manga.  
"Come on, change yourself. I'll wait for you at the counter. " Lucas said as he left the room.  
Jaemin changed and took a deep breath to calm himself then he joined Lucas.

Jeno leaned his forehead against the cold glass of the window and looked at the figures of Jaemin and Donghyuck crossing the courtyard, it was four o'clock in the morning.  
Where have you been all night? Jeno thought.  
He had woken up around midnight because Wonwoo was agitated and he kept kicking, he had heard voices coming from the living room and so he got up and peeked from the door of his room. He had seen his friends go out together and he thought that Jaemin was accompanying Donghyuck to work. When he woke up for the second time to go to the bathroom he noticed that Jaemin and Donghyuck's coats were missing, he checked his phone but there were no messages or missed calls. He had no longer been able to fall asleep, something had happened or they had simply gone out to have fun without telling him anything?  
Hearing the front door open and closing and the two whispering something to each other, Jeno gave a sigh of relief, Jaemin and Donghyuck had returned home and they were fine. Yet Jeno could not help but feel for a moment that he was sharing the apartment with two complete strangers.


End file.
